Numeri 21:7 (Numbers 21:7)

Posted on May 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Nm 21:7 venerunt ad Moysen, atque dixerunt: Peccavimus, quia locuti sumus contra Dominum et te: ora ut tollat a nobis serpentes. Oravitque Moyses pro populo,

they came to Moyses, and they said: “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray that he may take away the serpents from us.” And Moyses prayed for the people,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 venerunt they came 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
4 atque and CONJ
5 dixerunt they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
6 Peccavimus we have sinned 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND
7 quia because CONJ
8 locuti spoken PERF.DEP.PTCP.NOM.PL.M
9 sumus we are 1PL.PRES.ACT.IND
10 contra against PREP+ACC
11 Dominum the LORD ACC.SG.M
12 et and CONJ
13 te you ACC.SG
14 ora pray 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD
15 ut that CONJ
16 tollat he may take away 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
17 a from PREP+ABL
18 nobis us ABL.PL
19 serpentes serpents ACC.PL.M
20 Oravitque and prayed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+CONJ
21 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
22 pro for PREP+ABL
23 populo the people ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: venerunt ad Moysen describes the people approaching Moyses.

Second Main Clause: atque dixerunt introduces the direct confession and request.

Confession Clause: Peccavimus expresses acknowledgment of sin.

Causal Clause: quia locuti sumus contra Dominum et te explains the reason for the confession.

Prepositional Phrase: contra Dominum et te identifies the targets of the sinful speech.

Imperative Clause: ora requests intercession from Moyses.

Purpose Clause: ut tollat a nobis serpentes states the desired result of the prayer.

Final Main Clause: Oravitque Moyses pro populo records Moyses’ intercession on behalf of the people.

Morphology

  1. venerunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “they came”; Notes: describes the completed approach of the people to Moyses.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces destination phrase; Translation: “to”; Notes: marks movement toward a person.
  3. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “Moyses”; Notes: the mediator approached by the people.
  4. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the two narrative actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: stylistically stronger than simple et.
  5. dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb introducing direct speech; Translation: “they said”; Notes: introduces the confession and request.
  6. Peccavimus — Lemma: pecco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person plural perfect active indicative; Function: confession statement; Translation: “we have sinned”; Notes: openly acknowledges wrongdoing.
  7. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces explanatory clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: explains the grounds of the confession.
  8. locuti — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect deponent participle nominative plural masculine; Function: forms compound perfect with sumus; Translation: “spoken”; Notes: deponent participle with active meaning.
  9. sumus — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb with locuti; Translation: “we are”; Notes: completes the perfect tense construction.
  10. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the accusative; Function: introduces the object of opposition; Translation: “against”; Notes: marks hostile speech directed toward someone.
  11. Dominum — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of contra; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH against whom the people complained.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins the two objects of contra; Translation: “and”; Notes: links the LORD and Moyses together as the targets of the complaint.
  13. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular personal pronoun; Function: second object of contra; Translation: “you”; Notes: directly addresses Moyses.
  14. ora — Lemma: oro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: command requesting intercession; Translation: “pray”; Notes: appeals to Moyses as mediator before God.
  15. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating conjunction; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: governs the subjunctive verb tollat.
  16. tollat — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of the purpose clause; Translation: “he may take away”; Notes: expresses the desired divine action.
  17. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces separation phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: indicates removal away from the people.
  18. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural personal pronoun; Function: object of a; Translation: “us”; Notes: refers collectively to the afflicted Israelites.
  19. serpentes — Lemma: serpens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of tollat; Translation: “serpents”; Notes: refers to the fiery serpents sent as judgment.
  20. Oravitque — Lemma: oro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative with enclitic conjunction; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “and prayed”; Notes: the enclitic -que closely links Moyses’ response to the people’s request.
  21. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Oravitque; Translation: “Moyses”; Notes: acts as intercessor on behalf of the people.
  22. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces representation phrase; Translation: “for”; Notes: expresses intercession on behalf of others.
  23. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of pro; Translation: “the people”; Notes: refers to Israel as the beneficiaries of the prayer.

 

About Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Born around 346 A.D. in Stridon, St. Jerome was a scholar fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew whose ascetic discipline and deep engagement with Scripture prepared him for a monumental task: translating the Bible into Latin. Commissioned by Pope Damasus I around 382 A.D., Jerome began by revising the flawed Old Latin Gospels, then expanded his work to the entire Bible. For the New Testament, he corrected Latin texts using Greek manuscripts; for the Old Testament, he translated most books directly from Hebrew—a controversial but principled choice. His final Psalter, however, followed the Greek Septuagint tradition for liturgical use. This composite translation, later known as the Vulgate (editio vulgata), became the authoritative biblical text of the Western Church, formally endorsed at the Council of Trent in 1546. The Vulgate’s influence extends beyond theology into textual criticism and Latin education. As one of the earliest translations grounded in original-language scholarship, it offers a vital witness to the state of biblical texts in late antiquity. Jerome’s lexical and syntactic decisions are studied to trace manuscript history and assess variant readings. Its elegant Latin, consistent in grammar and rich in vocabulary, became a model for medieval and Renaissance learning, bridging classical and ecclesiastical Latin. More than a translation, the Vulgate helped define Christian doctrine, preserved the Latin language, and laid essential groundwork for the critical study of Scripture—remaining indispensable to students of Latin, theology, and textual history.
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